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October 19, 2016, Open House SE Seattle Paving Project

Summary Last updated: 11/23/16

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Overview --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Comment Sheet Summary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Meeting Demographics --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Photos ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4

Appendix A: Written Comments --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

Appendix B: Verbal Comments ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

General -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

Wilson --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

Swift/Myrtle/Othello -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

Columbian/Alaska ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7

Appendix C: Roll Plot Photos and Transcription -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Appendix D: Notifications ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

Appendix E: Display Boards --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

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Overview On October 19, 2016, we hosted an open house meeting at Southside Commons in Columbia City, 3518 S Edmunds St, from 5:30 – 7:30 PM for three 2018 Arterial Asphalt and Concrete projects in southeast Seattle. There were 5 Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) staff members and 1 SDOT consultant at the meeting. The room was set up with multiple stations:

- Sign-in - Feedback and comment - Project overview - Street cross sections - Columbian Way SE map

Stations were staffed, included display boards (see appendix D), comment sheets, and handouts.

Notification for the meeting included a mailer (see appendix C) sent to 21,900 addresses around the project area, information posted on the City of Seattle and SDOT public meetings calendars, notice posted on the project website, emails sent to stakeholders, and other local social networking by residents such as Nextdoor.

Thirty-eight people attended the open house and 28 signed in. Most people cited receiving the mailer or an email as how they were notified of the meeting.

Comment Sheet Summary • General support for wider bike lanes and wider buffer next to bike lanes (people cited safety

and ability to socialize as reasons) • Lack of support for bike lanes adjacent to parking lanes • General concern with cross section A for S Columbian Way: 24th Pl S to S Americus St; more

support for cross section B. Cross section B included protected bike lanes with plastic posts and removed on-street parking.

Meeting Demographics The Full Inclusion Sign-in Sheet was used to help measure our inclusiveness for the event:

• About 34% of attendees signed the voluntary Inclusion Sign-in Sheet (13 people)

Of those that signed the Inclusion Sign-in Sheet:

• 62% were white • 100% primary language is English

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• 62% were female and 38% male • 36 was the average age • 85% owned their own home

Demographic data for the south Seattle project area show that 38% percent of residents identify as Caucasian (white) and 32% identify as Asian. Five percent identify as African American. The median age for women in the area is 38 years old and for men it is 37 years old. And, 53% percent of households are owner-occupied. [Source: American FactFinder U.S. Census Data 2010-2014]

Photos SDOT staff member discusses project details with attendees:

Attendees browse project boards:

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Appendix A: Written Comments Comment sheets: Wilson Ave S: S Dawson St to Seward Park Ave

• Love all the bike lanes! Would like to have some on Rainier (someday) • This looks good. Can bike lanes be separated by planter boxes? It will be safer for families. Curbs

are not accessible for wheelchairs on Wilson. • Not my strong area but consider swapping parking and bike lanes if possible • Eww. Please don’t put bike lane in door zone. Please add physical protection to bike lane. If an

elementary school child would feel unsafe then you need a better design. • Love the 10' lanes! Need safe crossings too; Bike lanes will make everything calmer • SDOT should no longer put parking next to sidewalks. Should always use parking as a buffer

between car and bike lanes. Swift Ave S: S Albro Pl to Beacon Ave S

• Good. But please use curbs if possible instead of posts. Speeding is so high, posts won't deter. Can we have 10' lanes with a 2' buffer in the middle for bus/freight to have extra room?

• 10' travel lanes and 6' bike lanes, please • Note: Route 107 only can use 35' busses; if the bike lane is a PBL, must use strong (not paint and

post) like a curb or something. Very unsafe also bus stop connections further north are weird. • Would prefer slightly wider bike lanes and narrower travel lanes. • Great to have an organized street so everyone can be safer. Love to see bike lanes here

S Myrtle St/Pl: Beacon Ave S to Holly Park Dr S

• Bus stop island at 36th would be nice also barriers to control how people pass the 36 bus line. • How about making bike lanes 6.5' wide so people can ride side-by-side and socialize? • Bike lanes here that are safe would be great

S Othello St: Holly Park Dr S to Martin Luther King Way S

• Yes to wider sidewalk! More protected bike lanes! • Is parking needed near MLK? Signal needs significant work, also wider buffer on uphill side. • Ok, but would prefer wider bike lanes, more protection than just flex posts would be also preferred. • 2' buffer is pretty shallow for posts

S Columbian Way: 24th Pl S to S Americus St: Cross Section A

• Why wider lanes? (referring to 11' lanes). Freight traffic: over the past 6 yrs that I have lived on Columbian way, the frequency and volume of semi trucks has increased exponentially. Consider limiting truck traffic (or) rerouting freight traffic along MLK to access I-5; especially considering the intersection. Please consider an intermediate pedestrian crossing (bridge!!) between Beacon Ave S

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and MLK. Frequent ped use including Asa Mercer Middle School students…too dangerous as is. Seattle Police Traffic speed trap set up at 24th Ave S or 24th Pl S. Speed enforcement, please! Maintain the 9' planting strips-currently look awful.

• Please don't remove the planting strip for better bike protection - it's a thin line between what's best for vehicles versus bikes, but I think the planting strip needs to stay for the residences of the area. I really hope the sidewalks are repaved from Beacon Ave down the green belt on the Northside of the street.

• Do not like the 9' shoulder/parking next to the 3' buffer. Marrying lanes are crazy here; try to eliminate. Beacon/Columbian needs serious TLC.

• Please don't put the bike lanes between parking. This is an unacceptable option. • No don’t zone bike lanes! This is one of the five reasons people biking in Seattle are injured.

Protected bike lanes between Columbia City and Beacon Hill here are very needed. Thank you • The parking and planting strips should always buffer the bike lanes. Project should go to Beacon Ave.

Flip the Parking and the Bike lane on Cross Section A S Columbian Way: 24th Pl S to S Americus St: Cross Section B

• Yes, great but please continue protection all the way to and through the intersections (Beacon, MLK, etc.)

• Like planting strip. Can bike buffer be a planter box? • Fully support option B • This is better, but the bike lanes should be wider (let kids ride side-by-side and talk!) Include a curb

to separate the bike lane from the travel lane. Posts don’t cut it! • Flip the planting strip and the bike lane on Cross Section B

S Columbian Way/S Alaska St: S Americus St to McCoy Pl S

• Yes, great but please continue protection all the way to and through the intersections (Beacon, MLK, etc.)

• At Columbian and 15th Ave S, near the middle school and MacPhersons fruit stand. Columbian seems more like a freeway on/off ramp than a city arterial.

• Yes to bike lane, planting strip and wider sidewalks • Downhill is crazy fast; must fix. Right turns downhill will need care for bikes. Seriously consider light

somewhere on route. • Need safe ways to bike between Columbia City and Beacon Hill • Flip the planting strip and bike lanes

Anything else to add?

• Please also consider improvements for people crossing the street on foot.

Appendix B: Verbal Comments General

• Need sidewalks for kids to get to school. • Speeding on neighborhood streets. • Orcas St is in worse condition and should be a higher priority.

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• Whether the online survey is scientific.

Wilson • There are more street intersections and driveways on the west side, so it might make more sense to put

the parking on the east side because we could maintain more of it. • There’s a Jewish synagogue that fills a lot of parking during services and also loads buses so we need to

keep that in mind. • Eliminating parking on 1 side would be fine. • Crossing improvements desired at Dawson. • Drivers run the all-way stop at Dawson a lot of the time; suggested having SPD there to enforce) • Speeding concerns • Like the cross-section proposed • Consider adding the ‘Crosswalk’ signage back to Wilson just north of Dawson, where the old PCC was. • Biking and walking on Wilson is difficult today because it’s high-speed and unpredictable. The

unpredictability stems from cars parking in the planting strips and drivers reentering the street at high speed (downhill is especially concerning for cyclists).

Swift/Myrtle/Othello • Suggestion to maintain the same vehicle lane widths throughout the corridor rather than vary them– keep

the travel path narrow. • Concern that the 1 EB travel lane at Rainier will be difficult for SB to EB turning large vehicles. We need to

pay close attention to the stop bar location for the EB to NB turn. • The EB bus stop at Rainier will block people from getting around the bus and they may drive in the

opposing lane. Consider moving the stop, or making a physical barrier at the double yellow (i.e. curb). • One resident proposed a 2-way PBL on the west side of Swift and a sidewalk extension. Reconnecting

two-way PBL’s back to the “system” is a challenge he recognized, but something we can look at. • Consider extending the sidewalk on the west side of Swift into the roadway because it looks like we have

plenty of width and that would make it easier for people to get to bus stops. • Many complaints of speeding along the entire corridor. • Preference for 10’ travel lanes instead of 11’. • Discussion about Swift sidewalk and requests to provide better pedestrian access to the bus stops on

Swift, through improvements to the sidewalk/ped crossings. • Discussion about channelization of S Othello St between 39th Ave S and MLK:

o Resident questioned the need for parking in this block and identified this is being used mostly as light rail park and ride

o Request to look at WB bus stop and its interaction with general traffic/bikes • Swift is the only way for people biking to get to Georgetown from that part of Beacon Hill.

Columbian/Alaska • S Alaska St should have the bike facilities extended all the way to MLK Way because there are typically EB

backups there and need separated space for people biking to get up to the light. • East end of this community experienced a lot of change with light rail construction and we should be

aware of and sensitive to that experience. • Several bicyclists indicated use of this street in both directions. • Desired marked crosswalk at Alaska and McCoy to get to the bus stop. • Desire for better ped crossing at Mountainview. Even a ped signal if we can figure out how to make sight

distance work.

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• 1 request for curb and gutter because it’s “nicer” but that was not a resident. • Desire on the downhill bike lane not to have delineators because the bikes are going fast enough to merge

with traffic to turn left on Columbian which is much more common than continuing down and crossing MLK at Alaska. Suggestion to make two ways for bikes to make this downhill left – one for more experiences cyclists to merge with vehicle traffic and another for cyclists to stop at Mountainview and cross perpendicularly in a marked crosswalk (preferably with a signal and a bike box).

• Drivers use the small 4 lane section to pass before it returns to the 3 lane section • Drivers are confused by the two sets of signals, resulting in near misses • Desire to continue a bike facility to/through the intersection • Requests for curb and gutter along the corridor • Requests for sidewalk maintenance/repair • Preference for a curb buffer instead of bollards, especially given the lack of curbs. • Desire for improvements on the Alaska St approach to MLK: • Especially for bicycles, many said they ride on sidewalk when there are queues • Request to rechannelize WB to 1 lane, consider moving the WB bus stop near side across the intersection • Requests for crosswalks/ped crossing improvements at multiple intersections:

o 24th Ave S (elementary school bus stop, concerns about kids crossing, another resident said the school bus stop is actually at 24th Pl S and they haven’t seen the school bus this year – need to look into this)

o Americus (metro bus stop location) o New mid-block crossing for Cheasty greenspace

• Mountain View Dr Discussion about westbound left turns: o Since there are no left turns allowed at Mountain View, many turn left at Americus to weave to

the area near Ferdinand & 28th o Request to consider signalizing Mountain View intersection and allow WB left turns

• Concerns about the high speed of traffic/aggressive driving on Columbian. Preference for 10’ travel lanes instead of 11’

• Request to shorten crossing distance of Americus, especially for bikes • Many wanted improved crossing at S Alaska St & S Columbian Way. • Beautification element – namely, landscaping improvements. Want trees (and the City to agree to

maintain them) in the gap in Columbian between Beacon and Cheasty Greenspace. • N side of Columbian has alley access/ driveways/ garages; the planting strip should be used for

greenspace, not parking. • Because many residents and businesses don’t maintain these planting areas, we should remove the

planting strip proposed in the cross-sections. Relatively few people park there and it would be better to reclaim that area into usable space for a wider sidewalk.

• Beacon Ave is neglected and full of trash and the landscaping isn’t maintained by the City. • Cheasty Greenspace rep said it will be necessary to get people across safely (Columbian divides the two

segments of the park). • Bike rider said he would prefer not to have a physical barrier at this intersection because he’d like to mix

with the vehicles to get into the EB>NB turn pocket (vs. doing the two-stage crossing). • Lots of interest in sidewalk upgrades (wider and clear of debris). • Requests for curb and gutter. • Interest in formalizing/ effectively reducing crossing distance at S Alaska St & S Alaska Pl. • Request to create a clearer gateway/ entrance point for Cheasty Greenspace. There’s a new stairway at

the end of the road, which RS just constructed there. • Improve bus stops and improve crossing safety between bus stops at S Alaska St near MLK.

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Appendix C: Roll Plot Photos and Transcription

SDOT Staff Member Discussing Roll Plot with Attendees

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Map Section A: Intersection of S Columbian Way and Beacon Ave

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Map section B: S Columbian Way up to where the road becomes S Alaskan St

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Map Section C: S Alaskan St

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Map Section D: S Alaskan St to MLK Jr Way S

Beacon Ave S and S Columbian intersection – north side of the street

• The second set of lights here is very dangerous. Cars headed west on Columbian see the lights turn green and go, even though the actual green is for northbound Beacon.

o I agree—lots of cars running that light!!

S Columbian running east toward Beacon Ave S intersection

• Don’t have four lanes through intersection o Seconded

Beacon Ave S and S Columbian – south side of intersection/street

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• Could we get a roundabout here? This is not a very pleasant intersection.

Center of intersection of Beacon Ave S and S Columbian

• Can we get rid of this? It’s bad for everyone

East side intersection of Beacon Ave S and S Columbian

• (Build a) protected intersection

Northeast corner of intersection of Beacon Ave S and S Columbian

• Make businesses accountable for garbage and selling cheap alcohol • Continue protected bike—Yes!—all the way up the hill!

Northside of S Columbian

• Sidewalk widening? Curbs?

Northside of S Columbian where 24th Pl S intersects

• Needs crosswalk for children crossing to school bus stop o Ditto!

• Plant trees please – west (?) side of Columbian

Southside of S Columbian intersection with Beacon Ave S

• Add protected intersection

Southside of S Columbian Way

• Why do we grow to 4 lanes through Beacon just to go away again? • Need bus turn and for passenger loading

Northside of S Columbian Way

• No parking on the planting strip; need true protected bike lane

Southside of S Columbian Way

• Can we make the center lane wider (2’?) and have 10’ travel lanes for traffic calming? Would extra buffer still work for freight?

Southside of S Columbian Way at S Americus St

• Make sure downhill bike lane intersections with side streets built safely o Please

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• Safe ped crossing w/median island, please

Northside of S Columbian Way (opposite from where S Columbian intersects with S Americus St)

• Crosswalk between […] stripe with push button and flashing lights o Yes! Pedestrian bridge!

Northside of S Columbian Way b/w S Americus and where S Columbian becomes S Alaska

• Need safe curb-protected bike lane o Yes o Yes, lots of bike commuters use this route, both east and westbound

• Trail 2.5 mi pedestrian trail, 2.5 mi cycle trail (Cheasty Greenspace actively being restored); expected completion summer 2017. 100s and 100s of daily users who will want to cross over Mtn. View.

• Check for real curbs • People keep speeding and crashing into this […] Pole. Slow the speeds in the […]

Southside of S Columbian Way b/w S Americus and where S Columbian becomes S Alaska

• Debris in bike lane is a problem. Dangerous when biking fast downhill o Yes!

• Ability for bikes to leave bike lane to avoid obstacles going higher speed downhill is important • Decrease speeds please!

o I agree! People speed down the hill; usually to stop at red light • Need to keep bike path clear of garbage debris all the way down this hill

Southside of S Columbian Way at intersection where it turns into S Alaskan St and also breaks off east as S Columbian Way

• Add median island for safe ped crossing • Yes, cycling along here is a little nerve-racking. Watch for drivers rushing out. Also, gravel and debris

in bike path accrues here. • Drawing of signal at the intersection: Add a signal. Blind curve would allow turns without sacrificing

safety. • Circle around both sides of S Columbian Way before reaching intersection where S Columbian Way

breaks off and road continues as S Alaskan St: Remove this left turn. Get rid of traffic in Rainier Vista. Make safer ped crossing. No more getting hooked while biking.

• Drawing of pole at intersection where S Columbian Way breaks off and road continues as S Alaskan St: people keep speeding and crashing into this utility pole. Slow the speeds in the turn.

• New Rainier Vista = 1000s of people to cross Columbian!!

S Alaskan St – Southside

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• How do bus and bike interact when bus has to stop? No posts • Highlight bus stop. Add bus shelter and lighting, +1 bus island? • Add crosswalk for people walking across street to use bus

At intersection of S Alaskan St and S Alaskan Pl

• Highlight what might be SDOT property used as dumping ground. • And some will drive and park on Alaska Pl to access Mt View so—curbs? Clearly defined corner at

Alaskan Pl and S Alaskan? • Curb ramp; gravel sidewalk, south side of street • Scary gravel always on road = dangerous for bikes speeding downhill

o I second this area. A dangerous slippery mess!

Road/space off of S Alaskan Pl

• Minimize driveways • Private ally • Can bike path be added onto enlarged sidewalk?

S Alaskan Way at intersection with S Alaskan Pl

• Marked x-walk?

S Alaskan Way near intersection with McCoy Pl S

• Continue PBL all the way through MLK • Drain water downhill so fast it skips drain, esp. in heavy rains • We need legitimized access for bikes on sidewalks, may be similar to Yesler Community Center

designations • Can’t get out of McCoy due to EB backups at the signal “don’t block box” • SNS not right improper for locating 2855 S Alaskan ST. Mapping doesn’t work • Improve bus stops. Add shelter and lighting. Install cross walk to get across the street to catch the

bus.

S Alaskan St and MLK Jr Way S

• Fix timing of signal to avoid backups after train crossing • Can get hooked when in bike path • Cut through using […] needed to SB MLK

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Appendix D: Notifications

Mailer

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Appendix E: Display Boards

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